The Suicide Squad
by GrantFan90
Summary: The heads of Checkmate are fed up with the superheroes' refusal to always help the government. They reactivate an old program and form the Suicide Squad, a team of super-villains, along with superhero leader Major Victory, serving for lighter sentences
1. Project Suicide Squad part 1

Note: This story doesn't really fit in with official continuity, although it will reference some events.

#1: Project Suicide Squad, Part 1

Checkmate Central Meeting Room

The heads of Checkmate sat down at the table, situated in a room with a chessboard-themed room and walls littered with computers and screens displaying data, current news events, etc. Six figures were seated at the table. Dr. Emil Hamilton, head of both Metropolis' Star Labs and Cadmus, and quite a good scientist. General Hal Rock, son of World War II hero Frank Rock, a veteran of several wars who had risen from a sergeant to a five star general with decades of invaluable experience. General Wade Eiling, lower on the military pecking order, but heavily involved in major scientific organizations such as Hamilton's Cadmus. Maxwell Lord, commissioner of metahuman affairs. Madeline Regina, who ran a massive communications company and helped the government in much of its business, such as providing satellite surveillance, fake IDs, etc. She managed to weasel her way into a prominent security position, in the process earning herself a spot in Checkmate. Sixth was Amanda Waller, a thick woman, was an incredible success story. She had been a normal woman and wife in Chicago, until tragedy had killed or driven away the rest of her family. She struggled to better herself and had quickly risen through the political structure. Now she has heading Checkmate, a secret organization that had influence and control over many other key organizations and agencies.

At this particular meeting Waller was furious.

"Has the JLA changed its decision yet?" she asked Lord.

"No, ma'am. They are adamant in denial."

"Damn it. Kobra's organization is funding and arming terrorists in the Middle East to attack our armed men and women. Because they're in a neutral country we have to use covert methods to shut down these terrorists and maybe find Kobra. Thanks to the nature of the weapons they're packing we need a special breed of heroes to take them down and retrieve information that can lead us to Kobra himself. But the Justice League doesn't believe in interfering in such affairs, saying they wish to honor the neutrality. These self-righteous superheroes are getting out of hand. Don't they understand service to their country? After all they are the Justice League of _America_."

"To be honest, many of their members were never American to begin with," pointed out Regina. "Wonder Woman might happen to wear red and blue, but she's an Amazon from an independent island. Several other members are from other planets and just happened to take up residence in the JLA Watchtower. Aquaman is not just from Atlantis, he's a king with his own agenda, one which sometimes conflicts with America's."

"True," responded Waller. "It appears that the Justice League can never always be counted on to carry out the wishes of the country."

"Which leads into something that I would like to propose," said Eiling.

"Go on ahead, general. I hope it is good news!"

"Well, I decided to assist in archiving old secret military files and came across those concerning an on-and-off team called the Suicide Squad."

"I believe I have heard that name before. Please explain further."

"The Suicide Squad was started in World War II to deal with, you can probably guess, suicide missions, operations with little to no chance of survival."

"Are you suggesting we send non-metas on a suicide mission?" interrupted General Rock. "Some of you may like to cross lines, but I won't stand for sending our boys into the meat grinder."

"Very noble, sir, but please let me continue."

"Go on," said Waller.

"You see, this squad first consisted of people with physical or mental problems who were barred from service, but were willing to take any risk to serve their country. Over time military criminals were given the chance to join, taking tough missions in exchange for shorter sentences, lighter punishments, or full pardons. It was disbanded in the seventies. I think we can take this a step further."

"And this step is…?"

"We currently have over three hundred 'super-villains' locked up in prisons across the country. Surely a handful of them can be convinced to work for us in exchange for pardons or lighter sentences."

"Are you serious?" snorted Rock. "How can you control them? Half of them are escaping prison all the time on their own anyways!"

"But we can have superhuman agents doing our hard operations. Plus I have already spoken to Dr. Hamilton, who has a solution to control them."

"What is your solution, Hamilton?" inquired Waller.

"Devices called 'death chips', which we can implant in the super-villains an threaten them with. They'll work provided we don't pick any that have insane death wishes or are so powerful that they would override the chips."

Eiling added, "Thus I suggest, if you agree, ma'am, that we focus on tech or skill-based criminals rather than ones with actual powers."

"I think this is a good idea. Let us put it to a vote and state our reasons for our decision. And I want this to be unanimous. We're using scum for our agenda. I say aye. We need a quote unquote superhero team that will do what we wish, however unwillingly."

"Of course I say aye," said Eiling. "with the same reasons in mind."

"I say aye," voted Regina. "It's about time we had more superhuman operatives."

"Aye," said Hamilton. "It would save the time, effort, and money of trying to create new heroes."

"I'm a little hesitant," said Maxwell Lord. "But I vote aye. Kobra must be found and stopped and this can make that happen."

"I will make this unanimous if you all agree on one condition," stated Rock.

"And what is that condition?" asked Waller.

"That we appoint a superhero as head of the team to stop the Squad from going too far out of control. I don't want bad guys leaving a trail of innocent dead in our county's name."

"Agreed," said Maxwell Lord. "I know of several who would be willing. How about Captain Atom?"

"He's too busy with other affairs," said Waller. "General Rock, did you have anybody particular in mind?"

"Yes, Vincent Saylor, one of the holders of the Major Victory persona. He had a short run, barely noticed by the superhero community, before an incident caused him to retire."

"How do you know he will be willing?"

"I'm not sure, but I think I might be able to convince him."

"Then try, and succeed! Do you vote in favor now?"

"Aye."

"Then this meeting is adjourned. Tomorrow we will figure out villain candidates."

An Apartment in New York

Saylor heard a knock on his door, which led into his sparse apartment. He lowered the fork containing his noodles. "Who is it?"

"It's me, General Rock."

Saylor sighed. The name brought back some bad memories. "Come in."

General Rock entered in everyday clothing rather than his military uniform, doubtlessly trying to avoid attention.

"Haven't seen you in years, Saylor."

"You can call me Vincent, general. What is this about?" asked Vincent before he put noodles in his mouth, barely looking at his guest.

"Vincent, I'm asking you to come out of retirement and serve your country again."

"You know that's not going to happen."

"Vincent, please. I know that was a terrible mistake you made then, but it's been four years. It's time to move on."

"Don't you have other heroes who can work for you?"

"Yes, but they all need to be out in public enhancing the reputation of the American government and military."

"Are you asking me to do a dirty secret mission?"

"More specifically a secret group who without the guidance of a hero will make their missions dirty."

"Can you be more specific?"

"I know you will keep this a secret. An organization I am affiliated with is creating a team of super-villains that will be sent on government missions. It's called the Suicide Squad."

"The mission is to get killed?" Vincent said sardonically as he finished chewing up another forkful of noodles.

"We're giving criminals lighter sentences and pardons in exchange for going on dangerous missions. We're going to implant them with these things called 'death chips' to keep them in line. If they try to turn on us we'll activate the chips and cause severe neural damage. but they still need a moral compass on the ground to stop them from causing excessive collateral damage. You're off the radar since you stopped being Major Victory. You would make the perfect leader."

Vincent stood up, angry. "Perfect leader? The reason I handed in my costume was that I made collateral damage! I'm responsible for the lives of several children and a pregnant woman! I have to live with that guilt every day now!"

"And that's also why you're the perfect leader. You know what can happen if these villains aren't supervised well enough. We need you, Vincent. I need you."

"Give me time to think about it."

"Then take the time. I'm going now and I'm expecting you to make the right decision. Call me when you make it."

General Rock left as Vincent sat back down, lost in thought.

Checkmate Central Meeting Room

Amanda Waller sat down. "Alright, it's time to go down a list of narrowed down candidates for the Suicide Squad. All choices must be approved by unanimous decision. Before we begin, General Rock, how did Saylor respond?"

"He did not say yes, but I think I got through to him. If he doesn't call within the next twenty-four hours we'll have to pick a different superhero."

"Alright then. Let's start choosing. The list is alphabetical, so the first candidate is…?"

"Bane, name unknown, strength enhanced by a steroid fluid called venom," read Hamilton from his laptop.

"He's too smart. He even had a total victory over Batman, unless you think that armored psychopath that popped up for a bit was actually him," said Regina.

"Agreed, he's too risky at a formative stage," said Waller. "Still, he might be good to add later on."

"Bloodsport, Robert Dubois, can teleport weapons into his hands."

"Very psychotic, but he can take out a lot of the opposition in a short time," said Eiling.

The vote was going to be unanimous until General Rock. "He's too psychotic. He'll probably accidentally shoot his teammates."

"David Cain, expert assassin."

"He just escaped yesterday," pointed out Regina.

"Damn, he was one of my top picks," said Eiling.

"Captain Cold, Leonard Snart, uses 'cold guns' that can create ice, snow, etc."

He was unanimously selected.

"Cheetah, Barbara Minerva, much strength and agility thanks to the 'spirit of the cheetah'."

"Wonder Woman has been keeping close tabs on her," said Maxwell Lord. "She might react in an unpleasant way and put too much attention on us."

"The original Cheetah, Priscilla Rich, top-notch athlete."

"Nay for the same reasons."

'Copperhead, unknown, many snake-like powers such as venom."

"He's still recovering from injuries," said Waller. "We can add him later.

"Count Vertigo, Werner Vertigo, induction of vertigo and dizziness as well as flight."

He was voted in.

"Deadshot, Floyd Lawton, expert marksman, great with weapons."

"He wouldn't take down as much enemies as Bloodsport, but he would be much more precise," recommended Rock.

"Agreed, we could use someone with his keen eye," said Eiling.

Deadshot was added to the team.

"Electrocutioner, Lester Buchinsky, suit can generate electric shocks."

He was chosen. For a while no one else was. Firefly, Hardshell, Jewellee & Punch, Killer Croc, Lady Flash, and Lock Up were all dismissed for various reasons.

"Mouse and Gizmo, very good with hacking and other computer skills, have a pet squirrel."

"Cute," commented Regina.

"It sounds like they could be useful, though we already have Checkmate technicians that could provide support off-site,' said Rock.

"Still, we might need to sneak someone into enemy computers," said Eiling.

"There's also the risk that they might find a way to override the death chips. We'd have to have our own people be on guard 24/7," said Hamilton.

"I think this is one risk we can take," said Waller. "They have skills not common among super-villains."

The pair was voted in.

"Plastique, Bette Sans Succi, can cause explosions with her fingertips and is a demolitions expert."

It was agreed that her demolition skills were very useful and she was voted in.

"Poison Ivy, Pamela Isley, vast botanical knowledge, pheromones, control of specially engineered plants,"

"Isn't she an Arkham inmate?" asked Waller. "Those people are too crazy.

"Yes, she is crazy," replied Hamilton. "But she would be highly useful in forested areas, not to mention she can seduce males in more delicate missions."

"I agree," added Lord. "As long as we can prevent her from seducing Checkmate operatives or her own teammates."

Poison Ivy was given a unanimous approval.

Nobody else from the rest of the list was chosen. Scarecrow was highly considered, but was placed alongside Bane and David Cain as a potential future member.

"Alright, this is a manageable start," said Waller. "Our line-up is Captain Cold, Count Vertigo, Deadshot, Electrocutioner, Giz, Mouse, Plastique, and Poison Ivy, plus a yet to be appointed team leader.. In two days all of our chosen candidates will be moved to a secondary facility and briefed on their missions, assuming they accept. Project Suicide Squad can be considered underway. Meeting adjourned."

Somewhere in Checkmate's Base Building

General Rock picked up his cell phone. "Hello?"

"It's me, general. Vincent."

"So what's your answer?"

"I'm in. When can I be there?"

_Next: The Suicide Squad gathers and goes on their first mission._


	2. Project Suicide Squad part 2

Note: If you want more background on the villains you might want to look them up online. I didn't bother explaining their backstories.

#1: Project Suicide Squad, Part 2

Blackgate Prison Facility, Gotham City

An unnamed Checkmate agent entered Floyd Lawton's cell, carrying a folder full of documents. Lawton, who had been lying on his prison cot and fiddling with a wad of gum, looked up. "I take no visitors at this time."

"Mr. Lawton, I represent a government agency that is interested in your particular talents."

"Assassination, you mean? I'm not surprised. A lot of spooks are willing to spring me for that. How much does it pay?"

"This is not that type of assignment. What we want you for and what you get will be much different."

"If you mean you're not going to pay me, then forget it."

"The people I work for are forming a team full of special convicts."

"You mean super-villains?"

"Yes. We have need for your kind to go on missions for the government."

"The superheroes have their heads too high in the air to do your dirty work, eh?"

"Yes. I will make this short and simple. We want you to join this team. The missions will for the most part be very risky and you have a great chance of dying. If you betray us a chip we install in you will cause neurological damage. But if you serve long enough, your sentence will be much shortened, and the chip removed. With all of your murders adding up you're literally serving for life. So are you interested."

"Why not? Prison is boring."

"Good, that was a quick decision." The agent went handed Lawton a document from his folder. "Read over this and sign at the end."

Lawton did so. "So when can I start?"

"In one hour you will be transported out of here. You'll meet your first teammate on the plane out of Gotham."

"Just hope it ain't the Joker."

The agent left and Lawton, a.k.a. Deadshot resumed fiddling with his gum, whistling as he did so.

An Hour Later, Gotham Airport

Lawton was pleased to find his costume, a red and silver suit and a mask with a telescopic eyepiece, and other gear waiting for him. The transport manacles on him were taken off and he dressed up. The same agent he had talked to earlier was there.

"You won't get the rest of your equipment until the death chip is installed."

"Fine, just get me away from stinkin' Blackgate."

The manacles were put back on. Deadshot couldn't be trusted until the chip was installed. He was walked over to a fair-sized plane, smiling. His optimistic features changed when he saw his new teammate from Arkham: Poison Ivy.

Poison Ivy too was in costume, light green leggings with a darker green vine pattern, green boots, leafy vines around her wrists, and a green leafy top. Clashing with all the green was her auburn red hair. She was an absolutely gorgeous woman, but Deadshot never found her appealing. Her deadly obsession with plants creeped him out, and for good reason. Once he was hired to take down Batman while he was battling Poison Ivy. The Dark Knight dodged his bullet, which was always a great frustration for an expert marksman, and one of Ivy' plants was torn. Ivy had later threatened to squeeze him to death and Deadshot barely escaped her wrath.

"Hey there, Deadeye," she smiled deceivingly, gesturing with her cuffed hands.

"It's Deadshot, Flower Girl, and don't go near me."

"We're going to be teammates, aren't we?"

"Yeah, but it doesn't mean I have to like you. And don't try your pheromones on me. I'm not some dumb schmuck who's going to go head-over-heels because you sprayed a little love dust."

"Don't worry. I don't want you groveling at my feet. I want you dead and food for my plants."

"Cut it out, you two. Get in the plane," said one of the guards. Deadshot and Ivy got in and sat as far away from each other as possible, and on opposite seating.

A Secondary Checkmate Base

The plane carrying the two Gotham rogues landed somewhere near the East Coast. Poison Ivy and Deadshot, still shackled, were led out of the plane and into an elevator, which went down for almost two minutes.

_We must be very far underground_ thought Deadshot, noting the comparatively long time of descent. The elevator opened up and after a couple hallways the villains were led into separate medical rooms. Deadshot recognized Dr. Emil Hamilton, a big scientist that he had once been hired to kill before Superman stepped in front of his gun. He was given anesthesia and then had the death chip, the only thing about his volunteer work he wasn't looking forward to, implanted somewhere near his spine. He was freed of his restraints and ushered by another agent into a large room with screens, tables, chairs, etc. He saw that Poison Ivy was already there, along with Captain Cold in his white and blue Eskimo suit, some guy with a red mask and blue suit, Mouse & Giz (along with a squirrel), Count Vertigo in his green caped costume, and a blonde in a pinkish uniform with an explosion insignia on her chest.

"Welcome to the party," said Captain Cold.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," replied Deadshot. "I don't know a couple of you. Who are you?" he motioned towards the super-villain with the red mask.

"Call me the Electrocutioner."

"I'm Plastique," said the woman, extending her hand. "I make things go boom. You can also call me Bette."

"Pleased to meet you, Bette," said Lawton as he shook hands with her. "I can't wait to see you blow something up."

Count Vertigo yawned, refusing to join in the several conversations taking place around him. _Snob_, thought Deadshot of the aristocratic super-villains.

"Keep away from my squirrel, witch!" screamed Giz. Everyone looked over to see Giz's squirrel running away from Poison Ivy.

"What did she do?" inquired Mouse.

"She tried to kill him!"

"Then he shouldn't have bitten my rose!" said Poison Ivy, holding a flower that had its stem almost fully cut in two. "Plants live too!"

"Not as much as animals," growled Giz.

"What is the purpose of a squirrel anyways," said Captain Cold. "Store nuts for winter in case we're trapped in Siberia?"

"Maybe he nibble away at enemy defenses," added Plastique.

"I'll have you know that our squirrel is trained to cut wires," answered Mouse.

"Yes, God forbid we should use normal wire-cutters," smirked Plastique.

"Shut up, everybody! The rest of our gear is here," said Electrocutioner as several agents entered with the villains' weapons. The criminals quickly armed up. Captain Cold froze a glass of water with his cold gun, Poison Ivy kissed a vial of one of her potions, and Electrocutioner put on his coils, connecting them to his insulate gloves. He charged them up.

"Yeah, baby! Let's fry something!"

"Charge down, Electrocutioner," said a commanding voice.

The villains looked up to see a man in a patriotically-colored armored suit and red glasses entered.

"Who the hell are you?" asked Captain Cold/"

"I am Major Victory. I am your team leader. Now everybody sit down."

"Nobody said Captain America would be leading this team," muttered Plastique. All of the villains sat on chairs while major Victory remained standing.

"Our team name is the Suicide Squad. My job is to make sure you don't get out of hand and kill hundreds of innocent bystanders. Before Ms. Waller comes in and briefs you on our first mission I will answer your questions."

Deadshot raised his hand.

"Yes, Deadshot."

"Are we forbidden to kill or some shit like that?"

"Lethal force is authorized, but only against designated targets. I would much rather you try to keep people alive for questioning."

"How come we never heard of you?" asked Electrocutioner.

"I only served for a short time. I will not get into the whole story."

"How many missions do we have to accomplish before we get pardoned?" asked Poison Ivy. "The document I signed wasn't too clear."

"It will vary according to your crimes. As you've probably read in the document before signing, each mission done gives lightens the sentence until full pardon."

"What do we get to eat?" asked Giz. "Salad?" He looked over at Poison Ivy and smirked. Ivy looked at him with fiery eyes.

The short Q & A session continued. Major Victory managed to keep himself calm. All of the Suicide Squad members save Count Vertigo were mostly asking rude or dumb questions. There was little respect in this group, understandably so. Villains usually hated heroes, especially ones that oozed patriotism. Count Vertigo troubled him. They knew each other. Vertigo had been there when Major Victory accidentally took innocent life. The two continually gave each other knowing looks, Vertigo's sinister while Major Victory tried to maintain a professional appearance. He started to wonder if he should quit and get away from this sore spot in his life. But no, he had to make sure no more women and children died because of Count Vertigo.

Amanda Waller finally entered.

"Welcome, fat mama," said Electrocutioner.

"Silence! You will all refer to me as Ma'am or Ms. Waller! If I or any other official of close or equal rank is talked to in such a way, then you will be sent back to rot in prison or face the death penalty some of you have amassed! "

There was silence.

"Now for your first mission," said the authoritative woman as she turned on one of the screens. "Terrorists in the Middle East have been supplied with dangerous weapons by the cultic organization led by Kobra. They are stationed in a neutral country, so we have to send in a covert mission. The Suicide Squad's existence is only known by a few, so you will be sneaked into the country and sent to destroy the terrorist outpost. We need any leads, including people, intact so that we can track down Kobra. There are no metahumans among the hostiles, but they are armed with some very advanced technology, so this won't be easy. If you don't want to lose your life, this is your last chance to back out of the Suicide Squad program. Those who choose to stay will get a more detailed strategy from Major Victory on the way there. That will be all."

Amanda Waller left.

"So who wants to go?" asked Major Victory.

Nobody answered.

"Then get some rest. In two hours we will be boarding a stealth plane."

Count Vertigo & Deadshot's Quarters

Deadshot was grateful to find cans of Pepsi in his quarters' fridge, although he preferred alcohol. Not like they would give notorious villains the stuff.

"You haven't said a word yet," said Deadshot as he finished consuming his soda. "Too stuck up for us, you aristocrat?"

"My position as an aristocrat is over. But I have no interest in your squabbles."

"Suit yourself. What do you think of that Major Victory character?"

"I know him. We do not like each other."

"Really? Tell me more."

"He was sent to my country to stop my nuclear weapons plot. We encountered each other in the village close to my castle. During the ensuing battle one of my men fired a grenade at him."

"You hurt him bad?"

"No, he was able to catch it. However, just before he threw it at me I disoriented him. He threw his grenade way off target. He ended up killing a pregnant mother and her four children. He managed to defeat me and send me to an American prison afterwards, then he disappeared. The guilt was too much for him. He's weak-willed. You better be careful who you shoot when we are in the field."

"I will. I don't want my death chip to be activated."

Captain Cold & Electrocutioner's Quarters

"What do you think of the team we've got here?" asked Electrocutioner.

"It's alright. I prefer my own group."

"You mean the Rogues?"

"Yeah. We're practically brothers in that group."

"So why did you join us? You always end up getting out of jail one way or another. I joined because I've only been out once or twice."

"It's my business."

"Come on, you can tell me."

"I barely know you."

"Fine, be that way. Who do you think the hottest chick on this team?"

"Who cares?"

"I do. That Poison Ivy is smoking hot."

"I'd not tempt her anger. She'd throw a bus full of school children off a cliff rather then see a pretty flower get run over."

"Heh, I bet you're right."

Plastique & Poison Ivy's Quarters

Plastique did not like her roommate. Poison Ivy was singing some ridiculous lullaby to the plants she was allowed to keep. It was distracting her from her book.

"Will you cut that out?" groaned Plastique as she tried to read.

"Plants need love and comfort."

"You sound like a hippie. What did you inhale when you started out?"

"No drugs. I am the most sane being on this planet. I know the true nature of life. I know the great value of plants. More than an explosive-brained mammal could."

You're a mammal, too."

"For now."

Plastique rolled her eyes and tried to ignore Ivy's singing.

Secondary Checkmate Base

The Suicide Squad got onto the plane, fully armed. After Major Victory gave a general outline of his strategy, all of the members closed their eyes to get some sleep. Except Major Victory, who was wide awake for the first few hours of the flight. _Don't screw up now. Now is your chance for redemption. Try to ignore the fact that the man who caused you to kill is your partner now._ He thought to himself. He finally fell asleep, woken up later on by the chatting of Mouse & Giz. He called out to the pilot.

"What's our ETA?

"We've crossed the border. We'll land in thirty to forty minutes.

"Alright Squad!" said Major Victory. "Wake up! Wake up! This is it! We get to our destination then I give you the strategy."

The various villains got up. In over half an hour they were ready for action.

_Next: The attack on the terrorist base._


	3. Project Suicide Squad part 3

#1: Project Suicide Squad, Part 3

Overlooking the Terrorist Camp

Deadshot wore desert camo over his costume. Nobody in the terrorist camp could see him on the rock-strewn cliff he was hiding on, but there were a couple patrolling helicopters that might see him, not to mention the possibility that the neutral nation they were in might have their own aircraft and satellites looking for intruders. Deadshot had a sniper rifle with him, but that was back up. His real weapon was wrist-mounted guns that could fire very far distances and with his skill very accurately.

Major Victory's plan was simple. Plastique would gather explosives which she would soon detonate. With the explosion providing a distraction, Major Victory, Count Vertigo, Captain Cold, Electrocutioner, and Poison Ivy would charge in, with Count Vertigo disorienting the opposition with his special suit. Plastique would join them if possible. Mouse & Giz would stay behind until the terrorists were pushed back. They weren't fighters, but their skills would be useful if computers or phones were captured. As for Deadshot, his job was to pick off targets, providing support for the rest of the Suicide Squad. He could not wait to start shooting.

An hour passed by. Deadshot was a fairly patient man and passed the time using his telescopic eye-piece to analyze who and what they were up against. Most of the visible weapons were conventional, although the terrorists were sporting a few devices obviously supplied through Kobra's organization. He assumed they had a stockpile of the stuff hidden in their tents and a few old abandoned dwellings.

Deadshot felt himself jump a bit when a loud boom and a puff of fire then smoke rose about one and a half miles away. More explosions followed. He saw a helicopter, piloted by a Checkmate operative, whip out from behind a ridge, the bulk of the Suicide Squad descending on cables. The terrorists in the base scrambles, most of the facing the direction of the explosion. From the other side the Suicide Squad rushed in. Major Victory and Count Vertigo had the ability to fly, getting to the camp first as some of the sentries yelled for some of their comrades to turn away from the plumes of smoke created by Plastique and help fight off this attack.

Deadshot started to shoot, taking down a hostiles situated on a water tower and some roofs. He saw a pair of terrorists carrying a rocket launcher stop, seeing one of their comrades fall off a small building with a bleeding hole in his head, and turn to face his direction. He took them down before they could set up their weapon.

Terrorist Camp

The explosive diversion had worked. Less than half of the terrorists were ready for the Suicide Squad's assault and Deadshot had picked off a lot of them already. Count Vertigo landed in front of the largest group of terrorists, admittedly brave for a self-serving villain. He turned on his disorienting device and the terrorists' shots flew way off mark, sometimes hitting friendly targets. Many of them collapsed in dizziness. Several others were partially frozen by Captain Cold's cold guns. Electrocutioner walked up to a vomiting hostile and shocked him to death.

"Electrocutioner, that's enough!" ordered Major Victory.

"You're no fun," murmured the killer.

One terrorist managed to aim his gun straight at Count Vertigo, who cut off his shot with a quick kick to the face. Major Victory's suit protected him from some bullets and tossed the remaining first line of defense around. Mouse and Giz, seeing an opening, rushed in on a motorcycle, their pet squirrel still riding on Giz's shoulder.

"Follow Poison Ivy!" commanded Victory. "The rest of you go with me and clear out the rest of the camp!"

Mouse and Giz got off the motorcycle and followed Poison Ivy towards a grouping of computers under a tent. As they neared it a couple terrorists in Kevlar armor sprung up. Before they could waste Ivy and the hackers they dropped dead with bullet holes in their craniums.

"Thank you, Deadshot," said Mouse as she pulled out a device and hooked it to a computer.

Giz communicated with Deadshot. "Nice shots. Now make sure you keep any hostiles off of our backs while we get information."

"Good and done," he heard Deadshot in his earpiece.

A few terrorists managed to straddle along an adjacent wall, protected from Deadshot's sight. Poison Ivy acted quickly, throwing a vial that smashed by her assailants. Spores sprayed from the broken vial and the terrorists started to gag, red spots forming on their skin and foam coming out of their mouths.

Elsewhere the rest of the Suicide Squad encountered some of the Kobra-lent weapons. Red rays flashed among them and they ducked for cover. Encouraged by their retreat, the terrorists, about twenty of them, pressed forward. Electrocutioner crawled forward and stood up against the corner of a half-decayed building. He waited for the hostiles to pass, spraying gunfire and laser blasts as they tried to kill the Suicide Squad. He lunged out and grabbed one terrorist with each hand, electrocuting them and sending them crumpling. Their screams caused the others. To turn and Electrocutioner leapt away, one bullet grazing his body.

Major Victory sped out from behind cover and rammed several enemies. Captain Cold froze a couple others while Count Vertigo continued to induce motion sickness among clumps of men. Two terrorists rolled out a heavy laser gun which fired a burst of blue energy. They missed, but the impact of the blast sent Captain Cold and Count Vertigo off their feet. One hostile, who had run out of ammo, charged Captain Cold with the butt of his gun. The Flash villain rolled out of the way and pushed back his opponent with a kick. He froze the enemy's legs together than smacked him across the head with one of his cold guns, knocking him senseless.

The heavy laser fired again, this time scoring a direct hit on Major Victory. Thanks to his power suit he was not killed, but was stunned with burnt tears in his armor. Count Vertigo tried to turn his power on the hostiles manning the laser, but was grabbed from behind by a hostile who managed to overcome his motion sickness. He and Vertigo tussled around on the ground. The big laser was targeted at Major Victory. If it hit he would at best receive permanent injury. Electrocutioner ignored his plight and focused on delivering shocks to remaining enemies. Captain Cold came to the rescue, freezing the barrel of the gun as the laser charged up. It exploded, sending rays of blue light flying in all directions while surrounding terrorists were thrown around.

"Nice explosion," said a female voice. Captain Cold turned to see Plastique blasting a hole in a container with her touch, exposing more of Kobra's weapons. Electrocutioner rushed to Count Vertigo's aid, shocking the man he was tangling with.

Back at the computers, Mouse, Giz, and Poison Ivy had to duck as terrorists came in on all sides. Deadshot's cover fire had suddenly ended. Poison Ivy haphazardly threw her concoctions all around, hearing a few screams as some of them worked. They were running out of time, so she went for the pheromone dust. She emitted it in a circle and carefully stood up. The remaining assailants had trouble shooting her down. That meant they are affected.

"You boys wouldn't shoot a defenseless woman like me, would you?"

"No, I can't," said one of the hostiles who knew English.

"Ask them for information!" piped Mouse.

"Where do you think Kobra or his men are?"

"I-I don't think I should tell you."

"Come on, trust me," said Ivy blowing more pheromone dust into the terrorist's face.

"Let me…let me think. Yes, the man who gave us the weapons…"

One of the terrorists yelled something. They were starting to snap out of it!"

Poison Ivy cursed and jumped over some boxes as bullets flew towards her. Out of her bag of concoctions she pulled a bottle with a genetically engineered orchid in it. She quickly opened it and sprayed something out of the orchid, melting the lock of another box. She jumped behind that one as the terrorists continued to chase her and quickly opened it, luckily finding a laser gun. She pulled the trigger and realized the safety was on. She turned it off despite her trembling, a terrorist pointing an AK-47 in her face. She pulled a trigger and a red beam tore through the man, hitting another one behind him. She ran away, leaving Mouse and Giz totally on their own.

The reason for Deadshot's failure to provide cover fire was that the two patrol helicopters had finally come back after investigating the explosion. The Checkmate operative who had flown in the rest of the Squad tried to stop them, but was taken down by a sniper in one of the choppers. Now Deadshot was weaving in and between rocks as sniper and AK-47 fire chased after him. One terrorist threw down a grenade, which exploded some rocks. A cloud of broken rocks and dirt hit Deadshot, knocking him down a hill. He scrambled to his feet and fired string of bullets from his arm guns, providing cover fire as he ran for a tiny cave.

He made it inside and checked his ammunition. He was dangerously low and he left his sniper rifle on the cliff when the choppers started chasing him. He pulled out a mirror and a strip of duct tape, taping the mirror to a stick. He slowly moved his improvised instrument and got a look at what the helicopters were doing. One was going back towards the camp while the other circled about. In seconds the men inside the second one would face the cave opening and kill him. Already the mirror was shot by machine guns.

Deadshot gritted his teeth and rushed out, quickly calculating his shots. Several men in the chopper were hit, one falling to his death. With the firepower of its crew gone and no mounted weaponry, the helicopter was now easy prey. Deadshot fired into where its fuel tank was and a plume of smoke emerged. The pilot started to move his craft away as Deadshot ran out of ammo.

He pulled out his two pistols, with very limited ammo, and ran. The helicopter was slowed down to prevent a bad landing, so he managed to get ahead of it and turn around, firing at just the right angle so his bullets would hit the windshield. Seconds later the chopper crashed into a hill, its pilot evidently killed or two wounded to bring it to safety.

"Shit! Mouse and Giz!"

Deadshot rushed for the cliff, hoping that the hackers hadn't been killed.

Back at the camp the Suicide Squad was cowering from the helicopter. Captain Cold dragged Major Victory to safety inside one of the old buildings.

"Hey, Major! Get up! You need to fly up there and take out that heli!"

Major Victory groaned, clutching at his body in pain.

"Just a second. Let me get my bearings. Captain Cold, can you hit it with your cold guns?"

"Are you kidding? They'll gun me down before I can make an accurate shot!"

"So you can shoot it."

"Not really."

"Damn it, you Eskimo! I'm ordering you to shoot it!"

"Alright, alright! I just don't want to die, that's all!"

Captain Cold counted down from five under his breath, and then rushed out of the building, firing his cold guns almost blindly into the air. He could feel sand and dirt flying against his legs as bullets pursued him. He ducked into a tent, only to have the tent itself be torn apart by bullets. The helicopter was still active.

"Thanks for killing me Major Defeat," he said to himself. There was no suitable cover close enough.

Suddenly the windshield of the helicopter was cracked. More sniper bullets hit the chopper and it dived into one of the buildings, sending Electrocutioner, who was hiding there, scurrying for cover.

On the cliff Deadshot smiled under his mask. Mouse & Giz had somehow managed to run away, with their dumb squirrel too, as the Poison Ivy had distracted the terrorists. He had quickly aced a few terrorists that were pursuing them before turning his attention to the helicopter.

The sounds of battle died down. All of the terrorists were dead or incapacitated. Some might have escaped while Deadshot was focused on protecting Mouse and Giz, but it wasn't too likely. The surviving terrorists were gathered into one circle, all with at least one injury. Major Victory was glad he didn't have any obsessive killers on his team, at least the kind that didn't need money to kill prisoners. All of the Suicide Squad members gathered around Mouse and Giz, the latter turning out have been shot in the right leg.

"I need medical attention!" he shouted. "Somebody give me penicillin or aspirin or something. I hurt!"

"Hush, Giz," said Mouse soothingly. "You'll get help soon enough."

Major Victory, who had just called in for a helicopter to transport them away, walked over to the pair. "What did you find?"

'Not much, most of the computers were shot up," said Mouse. "We got a lot on the terrorists, but nothing on Kobra himself. However, we can use the cell phones of whoever was leading this band of terrorists."

"Then we need to find the phones fast. We have to get out of the country quickly."

The search proved successful, with Plastique, finding the leader's cell phone. The Suicide Squad was picked up minutes later by a few helicopters, which also grabbed the surviving terrorists.

"We really did a number on them," remarked the Electrocutioner.

"Score one for the good, er, bad guys," agreed Deadshot. "This is a fun job."

"It's not fun," said Major Victory. "It's a job for our country."

"Not my country," scoffed Count Vertigo.

"You have to admit you enjoyed that, Major," said Deadshot. "By the way, Plastique, your explosions were beautiful."

"What can I say? I'm an artist."

Major Victory felt sick. These fiends might have fought for a good cause, but to half of them it was a game while the other half had no true moral sense of what they were doing.

Checkmate Central Meeting Room, a Day Later

Major Victory stood in front of the six heads of Checkmate.

"The mission was a success. The Suicide Squad performed admirably, said Major Victory, not particularly enthusiastic.

"What did we learn about Kobra?" asked Waller.

"We do not know where he is, but his followers have a base in an island in the Indian Ocean. Mouse and Giz discovered this by analyzing the cell phone of the terrorist camp's leader."

"Do you thing the Suicide Squad can be trusted?"

Major Victory paused before answering. "Most of them were competent. However, some of them are too focused on violence. Electrocutioner and Poison Ivy toyed with some of their targets."

"We didn't recruit them to be nice," said General Eiling.

"One more thing," said Major Victory. "We could use more metahumans on our team. Aside from myself, we were all heavily susceptible to gunfire. I know you want to keep the Suicide Squad under your control, but I think we can slip in one or two heavy-hitters.

"We'll consider it," said Waller. "Go to your full debrief and then take a rest."

"You did well, Major Victory," said General Rock.

"Thank you, general." Major Victory left the room.

"So I guess Project Suicide Squad can be considered a success," said Madeline Regina.

"Indeed," said General Eiling with pride, as if he had helped defeat the terrorists.

An Island in the Indian Ocean

Two scientists of the Cult of Kobra watched as some of the soldiers carried a container.

"Careful with that," said one of them. "We don't want it getting loose."

"It's a him," said the other. "Not an it. Though he might as well be since he can change into a woman. The container was put onto a truck and driven up to an old Mughal fortress.

Over the Pacific

The ship hovered above the small Pacific islands. It seemed to be locked in place in the sky. A purplish figure in orange garb teleported onto one of the islands, followed by smaller purple aliens carrying alien technology. He had three eyes as opposed to his followers' two. It was Despero, constant foe of the Justice League. A satellite managed to catch his presence and somewhere in America Regina looked on in interest. She contacted Waller.

"Ma'am, I think I've found the Suicide Squad's next mission."

_Next: The Suicide Squad gains a new member as it is sent after Despero._


	4. Suicidal Contact part 1

#2: Suicidal Contact, Part 1

An Island in the Indian Ocean

The Checkmate assault had been a success, albeit with a fair number of casualties for the attackers. The defending members of the Cult of Kobra were killed or captured and right now encrypted computer files were being decoded in the hopes of finding Kobra himself. But what really aroused the curiosity of the Checkmate operatives was a unique prisoner being held in an underground lab. He was placed in a container and sent on a jet plane to Maxwell Lord's location.

Secondary Checkmate Facility/Suicide Squad Base, Lab

Maxwell Lord exited the elevator and approached General Eiling, who was looking down from his plexiglass viewing room at a man strapped to a table.

"Welcome, Lord. The process is almost ready," he referred to the man on the table. "Are you sure you won't change your mind?"

"Major Victory asked for a heavy hitter so we're giving him one."

"I don't know about this. I don't think Bane would earnestly want to work for a superhero."

"He's a criminal, but he's also helped legitimate businesses and the government on a couple occasions. If he's skilled enough to go against Batman then he's a very valuable asset."

"Yes, he'd make a damn good soldier, but I find his volunteering for the Suicide Squad program to be suspect. He may have been a mastermind back in the day, but his priority is currently money, which we are not offering."

"Bane also craves action, not to mention he would like the new formula we're pumping into him in place of venom."

"Exactly how powerful is this formula going to make him?"

"He'll be close to Superman level if it works perfectly. If not he'll still be able to smash through concrete with a fist."

"That's too powerful for my liking. If his death chip ever fails we will potentially have a one man wrecking crew in this facility."

A female lab worker entered the viewing room. "Sir," she addressed Maxwell Lord. "The subject we obtained from Kobra is here."

"Excellent. Put him in testing room six. I'll view him after Bane has undergone his process."

Suicide Squad Meeting Room

Major Victory and the villains of the Squad took their seats.

"About time we had another gig," said Electrocutioner.

"I hope we don't have to go on a computer in a battle zone again," complained Giz, feeding his squirrel a peanut.

Amanda Waller entered the room and images flashed on the main screen.

"A satellite picked up extraterrestrial movement on a South Pacific Island seventy hours ago. We've identified twenty one hostiles, one being Despero."

"Despero?" said Captain Cold, mouth agape. A lot of the other villains didn't look too pleased.

Waller continued. "He is in possession of many alien weapons superior to earth technology. Your mission is to recover the technology before any of the superheroes catch wind and get the weapons themselves."

"Why don't you want the heroes armed?" asked Vertigo.

"They have an annoying habit of destroying or locking up any advanced weapons they find. We've been struggling to get ourselves up to the level of alien technology. We've made progress with such minds as Lex Luthor, but we'll gain a much needed boost if Despero's tech is retrieved and safely stored in a Checkmate facility. Now I've decided that Mouse and Giz will not be on this mission."

"That's a relief," muttered Giz.

"I doubt that you two would be any good at accessing Despero's technology."

"Hey, I bet we could!" said Mouse, looking insulted.

"Shut up," said Giz. "Do you want us to get killed?"

A loud alarm suddenly rang out, screens flashing red-colored warning messages and an electronic voice shouting "Prisoner Breakout!"

"What the…?" said Waller.

"Should we get involved?" asked Major Victory, powering up his suit.

"No. Our normal operatives might be able to take care of it."

"Ma'am," said Lord's voice from the intercom.

"What is it, Lord?"

"The subject managed to slip free of his container! We tried to stall him with electrical blasts, but he moved fast enough to take out our soldiers wielding the correct weapons! I suggest we send in the Suicide Squad to stop him!"

"We don't need a battle destroying our base!"

"At least send Major Victory!"

"I will. Get out their soldier!"

Major Victory speedily left the room.

"As for the rest of you, be prepared in case he enters!"

"Who is it?" asked Plastique.

"Clayface."

"Which one?" said Poison Ivy.

"Basil Karlo. He recently managed to duplicate the process that gave Matt Hagen his shape-shifting abilities. Now we've got those powers mixed the mind of a psycho actor."

Elsewhere in the Facility

Major Victory found Clayface quickly, seeing Checkmate operatives thrown around and knocked senseless by a flexible wad of clay. Major Victory flew head-on into the clay, creating a large hole and sending parts splattering. The clay reconstituted itself into a humanoid shape.

"So there's a superhero here?" said Clayface mockingly. "No problemo." His arm stretched into a large flattened projectile, which Victory dodged.

"Clayface, I'm ordering you to surrender immediately!"

Clayface turned into a man with a baguette and an artist's cap, apparently trying to look like a Frenchman. "I surrender! I surrender!"

Major Victory moved in closer, only to be hit by another stream of clay. He was slammed into a wall. Clay face formed a massive fist and punched him through, sending him into a food storage unit.

"Yum-yum," growled Clayface, turning into a ball and rolling at his opponent. Major Victory recovered in the nick of time and punched it. The ball turned into a shapeless mass while Victory fell onto his back. Clayface uttered a wicked laugh made strange by the fact that he hadn't reformed a face yet. He shot out of the hole he had previously made and darted down a hallway. Victory was troubled by his behavior. Basil Karlo wasn't the type of villain to make lame jokes and act out of control. He was insane, but was known to be more calculating. Something was up with him. Major Victory pulled out a datapad and entered Clayface's name as he got up and chased after the villain.

Suicide Squad Meeting Room

Clayface saw an open door and went in, reverting to his humanoid shape when he saw the Suicide Squad waiting for him in a semicircle. Poison Ivy in particular gave him a nasty look.

"Huh? What are you all doing here? Don't tell me you turned hero.

"Kind of," said Deadshot, aiming one of his mounted guns. "Now surrender or I'll have to kill you."

"What do you mean kind of?"

"We work for the good guys," said Plastique, "then we get out of jail sooner. And believe me, we're going to do our best to make that happen."

"So what, you're a spy organization or something?"

"Close to that," replied Deadshot.

Clayface stood silent for a moment, then laughed, making a freakish clown face as he did so. "This is rich! Very rich! Fertile ground, in fact! What say I join you?"

"Fertile ground?" mused Count Vertigo.

"Join us?" said Captain Cold. "Not a chance! Get him, Squad!"

All of the villains with ranged weapons fired. Deadshot's bullet got absorbed into Clayface's malleable body. Poison Ivy threw one of her poisonous pellets, but Clayface hardened his hand and covered it before it went off. Captain Cold managed to freeze part of his body while Count Vertigo caused the Gotham villain to get a little wobbly. Clayface reacted by spreading his body and lunging forward, knocking down the Suicide Squad. He screamed and backed off when Electrocutioner shocked him. Plastique leaped at the retreating villain and induced an explosion, sending his head flying off.

As Clayface reconstituted himself Major Victory entered the room. "Be careful!" he said. "He's insane!"

"Really? Since when?" said Deadshot sarcastically.

"I mean more insane than normal."

The Suicide Squad, save for Mouse and Giz (who were cowering behind a couch), formed a semicircle again and closed in on Clayface, who smiled and turned into an army of clay men.

"Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more!" said Clayface's head, which transformed into a Medieval knight. His clay men charged the Suicide Squad when a loud voice shouted. "Everybody stop!"

Everyone halted to look at Amanda Waller, followed by six guards. "Cease this! Clayface, you said something that intrigued me."

Clayface drew in his clay soldiers and reverted to his "normal" look. "What was it I said?"

"You said you wanted to join the Suicide Squad."

"I guess I was caught up in the moment. What's the Suicide Squad?"

"These villains here," Waller gestured towards the Squad. "If you join, I can guarantee a far shorter and more comfortable prison sentence."

Major Victory looked at his boss in surprise. "You can't be serious!"

"Quiet, major! Now Clayface, we could use your shape-shifting abilities. You'd make the perfect spy."

"Yes, exactly! It would be the ultimate role for an actor!"

"So are you in?"

"You betcha, lady!"

"It's ma'am, not lady."

"Alright then."

"Get acquainted with your new teammates. Major Victory is the field leader of the Suicide Squad. He'll tell you your mission once you're on the plane."

"Glad to be in action already!"

Checkmate Central Meeting Room

"You what?" said Dr. Hamilton, expressing the shock displayed by the other members of Checkmate's leadership.

"You heard right, Clayface is the Suicide Squad's newest member."

"But you didn't put a death chip in him. He can't even have on installed in the first place! He'll just make it drop out by changing shape and density unless we design it to inhibit his powers!"

"That's it, then, we'll force him to shift within certain parameters," said Maxwell Lord.

"No, we need the full extent of his powers," said Waller.

"This is insane!" protested General Rock. "He can turn on us any moment! And why weren't we consulted? We elect members unanimously, remember?"

"Then let us wait to see how he performs," suggested Eiling. "He could be the heavy hitter we're working for."

"We already have Bane resting from his experiment," pointed out Rock. "Once he's ready we'll have all the heavy lifting we need."

"But Clayface has more than strength and fighting skills. He has unique abilities."

"Let's shelve this for now," said Madeline Regina. "Let's vote to save this discussion for later and look at the mission at hand."

The vote was unanimously in favor of delaying the argument.

"Good," said Waller. "Let's discuss the Suicide Squad's current mission. General Eiling, are your Cadmus troops ready to move in once the Squad's finished?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"And Ms. Regina, how are things going with the heroes?"

"It's tough, but so far it looks like my people have covered up Despero's activities."

"We have to think that they know, whether it's true or not. I want more Cadmus troops deployed and ready to confront the heroes if they should appear."

"Are you suggesting war with the Justice League?" asked General Rock.

"As long as we're careful we won't have a fight,' answered Waller. They won't fight us directly out of their sense of honor. We just have to make sure the more clever ones don't find a way to slip through."

Suicide Squad's Jet Plane

"So they say you've gone further off the deep end," said Captain Cold to Clayface. "Is that a result of your powers?"

"Not directly, although I don't but into that lie that I'm off the deep end. I kidnapped the entire cast of some crappy music drama show in Gotham City. I was going to hold them for ransom while giving constructive criticism on their shoddy acting. Batman got involved and started blasting open the walls around my prisoners with explosive batarangs."

"I hate those," commented Poison Ivy.

"Tell me about it. I accidentally formed my head around one right before it exploded. Now you might think I don't have a brain because of this clay, but believe me, there's a kind of neural system in my body. The explosion rocked it somehow and now everybody tell's me I'm the craziest thing they've ever seen. I think that's bull. In fact I'd say that I am much more sane than I was before. I see that the purpose of life is to fulfill your dream roles. I am in a unique position to do that. I can be a cowboy or an astronaut or any juicy fictional character."

"Hey, can you be the Kool-Aid man?" asked Electrocutioner.

"That role is beneath me! I am too good an actor for imitating advertising mascots!"

"Yeah, looking like an enemy from Mario Bros' isn't beneath a fine actor at all," said Plastique.

"Madam, I think you doth protest too much."

Major Victory handed Clayface a laptop. "Here's a lot of footage and info on Despero and his species. Go further back in the plane and practice your performance."

Clayface grinned and walked to the back of the jet plane with the laptop. He carefully studied the material on Despero and his species and then caught the attention of the others by turning into a three-eyed purple monster, uttering grandiose statements about his power and schemes. Major Victory had special plans for this shape-shifter.

_Next: The Suicide Squad meets Despero._


	5. Suicidal Contact part 2

Sorry for the long delay. My laptop had to get some repairs for a couple weeks.

#2: Suicidal Contact, Part 2

Despero's Island

Despero's two dozen servants finished inserting their mobile base into the island's ground, causing quite an upheaval as dirt, plants, and hapless animals were buried or sent flying. The entrance to the now subterranean complex was lined up with a cave on the island, making the rocky formation an entrance to Despero's temporary lair. Despero hoped that the Justice League would come soon. His mission was to lure them to this island and then with his newly upgraded weapons to capture them and then execute them on another planet. Many alien villains wanted to personally see the Justice League perish.

A Justice Shuttle over the Pacific

Batman piloted the shuttle, grimly searching for the change in pattern of government satellite behavior. A certain zone in the Pacific was no longer being monitored. Justice League satellites were currently experiencing slight technical errors, but these errors were not slight to Batman. Many other members of the League found little reason to be suspicious, but Batman wouldn't be comfortable until he was sure nothing was up. He believed this was the doing of Amanda Waller. She had been trying to conduct operations that the Justice League would normally do for her own, or the government's, agenda. He wondered if this had something to do with the disappearances of super-villains from several villains, a couple from Arkham Asylum and Blackgate itself. Waller could pull strings in the government pretty well.

Despero's Island

The Suicide Squad landed on one of the highest hills on the island. They instantly knew they were in the right place, because dirt, rocks, and debris were piled over a large, recently uprooted spot. During their mission briefing they had gone over some of Despero's technology, including his mobile base which could dig itself underground.

"So we're looking for a three-eyed purple alien, right?" asked Captain Cold.

"That's correct," confirmed Major Victory. "Now remember, Despero probably knows we're here, so expect an attack at any time. Proceed with caution and be quiet."

The Suicide Squad walked proceeded cautiously towards the recently covered up patch on the island. Despite Major Victory's order for silence, a couple villains in the back of the line whispered to each other.

"Glad to be among the plants instead of the desert, Ivy?" whispered Plastique.

"Yes. And I will make Despero pay for his careless murder of much of this isle's vegetation. I will personally choke him to death with my vines."

"I must admit this is a beautiful place. When I got into the super-villain gig I thought that someday I'd make enough money to have my own little tropical island."

"Are you sure you wouldn't get bored and blow up trees?"

"Hey, I'm not a psycho like you. I don't take my gimmick to the extreme. I blow stuff up for profit, not because I want to make everything explode, though I do find that enjoyable."

"I'm not a psycho. I just…"

"Yeah, I know. You just see the truth about life. Speaking of the psycho subject, don't you know Clayface from Arkham?"

"Actually not this one. At Arkham we had the third one, he had a mannequin wife, but Karlo was originally just a master of disguise if the Gotham news were correct. So I don't know much about him."

"I just hope he doesn't decide that it would be cooler to "act" against us."

"Take defensive action!" ordered Major Victory as a sparking net suddenly shot out. Most of the villains scrambled further into the foliage, but a couple were still going have the net fall on them, and it didn't look it would merely contain them. Major Victory swooped up and grabbed the net, feeling some painful energy shoot through his body despite his suit. He screamed in agony and managed to send the net flying onto the rock as he fell. Clayface expanded himself into a soft putty and Victory landed harmlessly.

"Looks like I'm useful," grinned the shape-shifter.

The other members found themselves in a shooting duel with some armored purple aliens. Deadshot got one with a head shot and started climbing some vines, hoping to get a better shooting view. Two of Despero's lackeys emerged on an adjacent rock with guns and were about to pepper Deadshot, was looking and shooting the other way as he climbed. Their aim was quite thrown off when the large rock they were standing on exploded. Deadshot almost lost his grip and fell. "What the hell?"

He looked down to his right to see Plastique.

"Well, hurry up and climb!" she insisted.

"I owe you one, boom-girl," said Deadshot as he finished climbing up. He ended up on a plant-strewn cliff and looked down. Despero's soldiers had suddenly vanished, but yellow laser shots were coming out of nowhere and almost hitting his teammates.

_So you're using cloaking technology. Well, that won't stop me._

Deadshot adjusted his targeting eye-piece so that he could better detect disturbances in the environment. He saw a bush ruffle a bit and fired. A small mammal flew out of the bush with a bleeding wound in its body.

_Whoops. Sorry fella._

A yellow laser flashed at Deadshot and he back-flipped behind a boulder for cover. He hated this. Usually he was the one people couldn't spot until it was too late.

The other villains were also finding themselves on the losing end, as the nearly invisible aliens were driving them in from all sides. Poison Ivy managed to spot a couple by controlling some of the island's vegetation, forcing them to spot the cloaked enemies. Vines ensnared the two lackeys of Despero, who were then done in by sharp thistles. A yellow laser bolt hit Ivy and sent her down.

"They killed Ivy!" cried out Electrocutioner.

Major Victory rushed over to her and checked her. "No, these rays are set to knock us out! Still try not to get hit!"

The losing effort continued. The Suicide Squad, save for Deadshot and Plastique, was hemmed in from all sides. The villain team fired wildly in all directions and managed to score one or two hits. The second to fall was Count Vertigo, whose vertigo-inducing ability had no effect on the alien in front of him, who wore a helmet that obviously nullified his device's effect. The helmeted alien took him down with a yellow blast. It took two blasts to knock out Major Victory and Electrocutioner and Captain Cold quickly followed.

It was down to Clayface. Deadshot was off on a cliff pinned down by laser fire while Plastique tried to fend off one of Despero's larger lackeys from climbing up to her partner's location. Clayface put up a good fight, forming hammers and axes with his hands while extending his arms to incredible lengths. His furious blind fight managed to send cloaked opponents flying or smash them into the ground, but soon he too fell to many laser blasts.

Despero's men closed in on the Suicide Squad and placed them in a pile.

"Is this the mighty Justice League?" inquired one of the aliens.

"No, my data files say these are for the most part members of earth's criminal community," answered another.

"Then we shall dispose of them. Charge up the matter disintegrator."

"Stop!" uttered a commanding voice. The aliens turned to see Despero, third eye gleaming with power, coming towards them.

"Sire!" exclaimed one of his lackeys. "I thought you were working in your lab!"

"Do not question my actions, pawn!"

"Forgive me, sire!"

"Now what's going on here?"

"You commanded us to kill anyone other than the Justice League."

"Yes, but I was not expecting super-villains. They could be useful allies. Render them inert with bond energy and carry them back to base. There I will wake them from their unconsciousness and offer them partnership or death."

Checkmate Facility

Bane sat on the lab table half-dressed, feeling the new throbbing sensations of the formula injected into his body. He felt strong. That is, stronger than he already had been before. He couldn't wait to test his new strength and considered bending or smashing some of the equipment around him. But that would be bad form, and he wanted to make a good impression on his new "employers".

Bane didn't really like prison. It brought up bad memories of his childhood in Santa Prisca. He could manage, but he would rather be somewhere else. Thus he was very willing to join Checkmate's new team. From what he heard half of the Suicide Squad was Batman foes. He guessed that their lower power levels made them more ideally to control, but also wondered if Amanda Waller just wanted to tick off one of her greatest nuisance by using his rogues' gallery. Bane himself was an experiment. With the new formula pumped into him he was the first real demi-god of the team.

General Eiling entered the lab, carrying a thick dossier. Bane eyed him expectantly, believing the dossier to be for him.

"Welcome to the Suicide Squad, Bane. How do you feel?"

"Stronger than ever. Exactly how powerful am I?"

"We won't know exactly how much until we run some real tests. It's estimated that you're a few notches below Superman, more on Green Lantern's level."

"And when do I get to get to run some errands?"

"Right now the team is on an 'errand' in the Pacific Ocean. So you'll have to wait until they complete their mission, unless they die off and we have to start from scratch."

"Let's run some tests."

"I appreciate your eagerness, Mr. Bane. But give your body some more time to adjust to the biological changes."

"I will do that."

"Good, I look forward to having you in action," said Eiling as he handed Bane the dossier. "Here's all of the information on your new team. With your fairly tactical mind you should make a good subordinate leader should Major Victory need to split his forces."

"Is he a good tactician?"

"He's from West Point if you'd like to know. Don't worry. You and your new 'friends' are in good hands."

Despero's Island, Deadshot and Plastique

Encased in bond energy, The Suicide Squad members were helpless as their bodies hovered a couple feet off of the ground, surrounded by a sizeable number of extraterrestrial foes and Despero himself. Deadshot and Plastique followed along as stealthily as they could.

"For an explosives expert you can be pretty quiet," whispered Deadshot to his partner.

"I'm not a lunatic like you Arkham guys."

"Actually, I'm one of the few sane foes of the Bat. I get to spend time in Blackgate."

"Sounds like a wonderful place."

"Well, boom-girl. As long as the Joker and Mr. Zsasz aren't there, you can make that claim."

"Well, what are we going to do about our team mates? You could probably down all ET and his goon squad right now."

"Despero is not to be underestimated. Besides, even our whole team was being scattered about by their weapons. Right now the best play is to have them lead us to their base. Since we can't retrieve anything ourselves the next best thing would be to blow everything up."

"I wonder who can do that," smiled Plastique. "But seriously, I think you're just stalling so you can see Poison Ivy get killed."

"Hey, as nice as that sounds my main concern is completing missions and getting brownie points with the federal government. If the plant freak dies, that's a nice bonus. Now are you on board?"

"Sure. We better move quick. They just stopped in front of some decorated rock formation or should I say a door."

Despero's Island, Entrance

"Now get them inside!" barked Despero.

"As you command, your greatness," said one of his goons as he started to enter a code on a pad. The stunned Suicide Squad members started to wake up, opening their eyes yet not being able to move anything else thanks to the bond energy.

Suddenly a familiar voice came in on the aliens' intercoms. "You fools! You are following a phony!" spoke another Despero. "Stop that door from opening!"

The extraterrestrials looked at the first Despero wide-eyed. Their fake leader suddenly grew large clubs for arms and batted them down. It was Clayface all along! He quickly had all of Despero's lackeys flattened. The shape-shifter wedged his body between the doors as they started to close, with a thin arm working with the alien tech and disabling the bond energy. The prisoner Clayface proved to be a hollow extension used to fool the aliens and was absorbed into its master. Major Victory and his villainous team tried to fully regain their senses as they were scooped up in a large bowl of clay and jerked through the door, which was starting to break down the clay holding them open. Once everyone was unceremoniously whipped inside, Clayface flung himself in and the door clicked. For the most part the Suicide Squad was right in Despero's temporary home.

"Whoa! What the hell's going on?" said Electrocutioner, fighting a headache.

"And they call me Count Vertigo," muttered Vertigo as he clenched his stomach.

"That was a neat trick, Clayface, disguising yourself as Despero yourself," commended Major Victory. "You're a valuable addition to this team."

"Always nice to have one's work appreciated."

"So what do we do now?" inquired Captain Cold, freezing a rock to make sure his weapons still worked.

"We go straight for Despero then we take his stuff," said Major Victory.

"Nice and simple," smiled Cold. The Suicide Squad proceeded down a corridor.

Despero's Island, Outside the Base

"Great," said Deadshot. "Our plan is pointless and now we're unable to get in on the action."

"Don't speak too soon," said Plastique. "I can still blow that door open, assuming it's not made of some super-duper space metal stuff. And you can make sure that if any of those unfriendly saucer men get up they get back down."

"It's better than just sitting here and collecting tropical bird droppings. Let's do it."

Checkmate Base

Madeline Regina burst into Waller's office.

"Ms. Regina, get some permission before you barge in!"

"Sorry, ma'am, but this is urgent!"

"We have phones," said Waller as she shook one on her desk."

"Yes, well, the Justice League has gotten wind of Despero. Two of their jets have been spotted over the Pacific!"

"Damn, this was too soon! They doubtlessly know we tried to cover it up as well."

Waller called up General Eiling and briefed him on the situation.

"What I need you to do, Eiling, is to send some fighters to stop them!"

"Direct conflict? That's risky, ma'am."

"I'm not asking you to open fire. Just harass them long enough so the Suicide Squad has a chance of getting those weapons. And while you're at it send a few reinforcements to the island to speed things up. We're running out of time."

"Should Bane be sent with them?"

"That sounds like an excellent idea! Execute it!"

Despero's Island, Control Center

Despero turned on a handheld cannon, handheld for someone of his bulk that is. He would deal with his idiotic henchmen later. Right now he had some earth metas to kill.

_Next: The Suicide Squad tries to complete their mission while Checkmate tries to delay the JLA._


	6. Suicidal Contact part 3

Sorry for another long delay. I've actually been writing for a new fan-fiction site called DC the New 22.

#2: Suicidal Contact, Part 3

Despero's Base

Holding his handheld cannon, Despero, flanked by two heavily armored cronies, turned a corner to see the Suicide Squad. The invading team halted in their tracks, pointing their weapons.

"Do you think your earth technology will really faze me?"

"It worked on your goons," said Major Victory. "Tear into him!"

Poison Ivy commanded some of the vines that had managed to survive in the recently created base. They wrapped around Despero while Captain Cold hit him with his special gun. Clayface flung himself onto one of the armored guards, thickening his body to wear down and suffocate the alien. Electrocutioner attacked the other one, grabbing him and sending voltage to him. The armor negated the effects of the electricity and the Squad member found himself being hurled straight up into the ceiling. Major Victory came to the rescue, flying as fast as he could into the armored soldier. The move worked and both guards were down.

Despero now found himself against five earthmen (Electrocutioner was knocked out), but he wasn't going down easily. He effortlessly snapped the vines Ivy used against him and seemed to have a high tolerance for the cold blasts of Captain Cold's guns, with pockets of ice failing to slow him down. He whacked major Victory in the head with his cannon to keep him away and fired at Clayface. The Gotham rogue screamed as his body vibrated in an outward motion, with bits of clay splattering against the corridor walls. Despero also fired at Major Victory, who tried to roll out of the way and was only singed, the armor on his right arm being seared off.

With Major Victory clutching his arm in pain and Clayface trying to reconstitute himself, Despero moved towards Ivy, Captain Cold, and Count Vertigo. Vertigo activated his power and Despero saw his vision being distorted, with some dizziness. He was starting to feel sick, but was determined to press forward, closing his eyes and firing his cannon. Count Vertigo ducked the blast, breaking off his nausea-inducing ability. Major Victory leaped onto the back of the alien villain, applying a chokehold. Ivy found the last available vines and ordered them to go around Despero's legs. Clayface did something similar with his body, also wrapping around the three-eyed fiend's arms and body. Captain Cold continued firing away while Count Vertigo turned his power back on.

The team-up caused Despero to stumble. Vertigo's ability was churning his stomach to an unbearable amount, but if he vomited his throat was being clamped by Major Victory. He was starting to trip thanks to Ivy and Clayface and the cold feeling on parts of his body wasn't making things any more pleasant. In a risky move he trained his third eye on Count Vertigo. Vertigo started to waver, the telepathic abilities of Despero taking hold.

"Oh no, you don't," said Clayface, dropping a huge gooey paw over his eyes.

Nausea, choking, and the tightening around his limbs caused Despero to lose consciousness and keel over. The Suicide Squad took moment to regain their breath.

"We did it. WE defeated an alien warlord!" exclaimed Captain Cold.

"No time to celebrate, let's get those weapons!" ordered Major Victory, shaking Electrocutioner back to consciousness. "Grab whatever you can from these guys," he gestured towards the guards and Despero. Everybody failed to see the handheld cannon partially sticking out under the downed Despero.

Base Entrance

I'm about finished," said Plastique to Deadshot. "Take cover!"

Deadshot and his partner rushed behind some rocks. Plastique activated the explosives she had carefully prepared. Rocks and bits of foliage shot in many directions, followed by a dusty cloud. The still unconscious goons of Despero started to stir, but were buried or hit hard. It took several minutes for things to clear up. The rock and metal door was badly warped with cracks, but still blocked the way in.

"Damn! I have to do the whole set-up again!" exclaimed Plastique.

"Not to mention the explosion has probably attracted more aliens if there's still any inside there."

Above the Island

Six Checkmate jets closed in on the island. Many more were further off hoping to slow down the Justice League. One jet held Bane and the commanding colonel.

"Colonel, we just spotted an explosion!" reported one of the pilots.

"Get close enough so that our men can jump out!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Ready to test out your new strength, Bane?"

"I cannot wait."

Despero

Despero got up, spitting out a remaining bit of clay.

_Those fools should have killed me_ he thought, a menacing frown forming on his face. _I was down and out and apparently I wasn't dangerous enough to kill! This oversight will cost them!_

Despero found his handheld laser cannon underneath him, while the weapons of his cronies were missing. He grabbed his weapon and stood up, letting out a loud roar.

Base Entrance

Plastique and Deadshot were in the middle of planting another set of explosives when they saw the jets closing in. They recognized them as Checkmate craft and were surprised when Bane and a squad of ten operatives lowered themselves to the ground.

"Bane?" said Deadshot. "Is Checkmate out to piss off Batman by hiring all his enemies?"

"I did detect some mutual hatred for the Bat from Miss Waller," said Bane, approaching his new teammates. He eyed the entrance. "Having trouble with the door?"

"Yeah, it's made of some magical, super-science alien material," answered Plastique.

"Looks like you still did a number on it," said bane as he charged it.

"Hey, didn't you hear the lady? It's too thick for…"

With a high momentum charge Bane was able to further dent in the entrance. He distanced himself and rammed it again, this time making an opening.

"Holy cow! He was never that strong before!" exclaimed Deadshot. "What did you guys feed him? Steroid flakes?"

"Move in!" ordered the colonel. "Follow the big guy!"

Deadshot and Plastique went along with the squad into Despero's lair.

Despero's Armory

The armory was a large round room full of all kinds of weapons and gadgets. Resistance on the way had been light and easily disposed of. This mission had really turned around. Major Victory was very glad that Clayface was now part of the team. He had just turned himself into some four-legged clay crate into which the Suicide Squad could stuff Despero's tech.

"This is heavy," complained Clayface. "Captain Cold, can you thicken my exterior without freezing my joints?"

"Can do," said Captain Cold, using his guns to fulfill the shape-shifter's wishes.

"We have enough technology," said Major Victory. "Let's get out of here."

The Suicide Squad was all too eager to finish this mission. They all focused on the entrance when a slightly staggered Despero suddenly appeared and fired a blast from his cannon. The blast was aimed at Count Vertigo, who was sent flying into a pile of untouched crates.

"Did you truly think you could take what belongs to me?"

"Clayface, do something!" exclaimed the Electrocutioner.

"I can't shape-shift too well with this icy coating!" said Clayface. "I'm a sitting duck!"

"Then _I'll_ clean his clock!" proclaimed the Electrocutioner, charging Despero with energy sizzling in his gloves. He made contact with the alien. Electricity crackled around him. He growled in pain, then snickered as he backhanded his assailant. He stomped on one of his gloves, cutting off the power. Major Victory charged him, but was hit with the handheld cannon. He collapsed on the floor, out of the fight.

Despero kicked the Electrocutioner in the head as he fired at Captain Cold and Poison Ivy. The two ducked for cover and Despero eyed Clayface menacingly. The shape shifter gulped. He was a large, easy target.

"You have my things. Now prepare to be obliterated."

It was then that Bane charged in and hit the alien from behind. He hit him with a back suplex and then socked him on the mouth with a hard punch. Deadshot and Plastique rushed to recover their team mates. The Checkmate soldiers fired away at Despero, who was hurt, but not out from the powered up Bane.

"More earthlings! I will kill you all!" screamed the three-eyed evil-doer as he blocked an attack by bane and pounded fists into his back. His third eye trained on one of the Checkmate soldiers and suddenly there was a traitor in the midst. Despero's telepathically controlled lackey shot down two of his comrades before he himself was gunned down by Deadshot.

"Look out for his eye!" warned the colonel of the squad. "Concentrate your fire on three-eyes!"

"No need for that," said Bane, hammering away at the extraterrestrial. "The combination of the new power formula and my expertise in battle will be too much for an already-weakened opponent.

"You assume victory too soon!" roared the bleeding Despero. He hit a button on his belt. The whole place started to shake.

"What's going on?" asked Poison Ivy.

"What's going on!" repeated the colonel on his intercom.

"Sir, the hostile's base is coming out of the island! I believe it's turning into a spaceship!" replied a voice on the other end.

The colonel relayed the message. "This whole place is going into space! Let's get out of here!"

The unconscious Suicide Squad members were grabbed by their team mates or operatives and dragged through the corridors towards the entrance. Bane had the misfortune of having to drag Clayface and fell behind.

"We're going to lose what we came for!" shouted Plastique, seeing Bane's failure to move with the rest of the group.

"Even if we pool all our strength we can't drag those weapons fast enough!" pointed out the colonel. It felt like the whole place was starting to lift into the air. Several of the side passages and rooms were also shifting, as if the entire structure was transforming.

"I have an idea!" said Captain Cold. "Gather around Clayface, everyone!"

"Are you crazy?" shouted Poison Ivy. "Let's ditch them and live!"

"Trust him," half-whispered a recovering Major Victory.

"With all due respect, major, I outrank you," said the colonel.

"Trust me, sir! From our training sessions I know that Captain Cold can both get us out of here and preserve the alien tech! Bane, pound a hole through the floor!"

"Don't listen to him!"

"Sorry," said Bane, letting go of Clayface. "We have to accomplish all our objectives."

With that he punched a hole through the floor and then peeled the metal back. Below the island was still not all in view, meaning that the shaking \structure wasn't too far off of the ground. "Do your thing Mister Cold."

"It's Captain Cold," said the Flash rogue as he aimed his cold guns towards the holes. He formed an icy slide with large tufts of snow falling to the bottom. "Follow me!" He jumped on his slide and disappeared through the hole.

"Either he's crazy or he knows he'll survive," said Plastique before going down herself. Deadshot followed. Despero staggered from the armory with his cannon.

"Crap, we have no choice! Get on the slide!" ordered the colonel before he was hit by the cannon and blasted to bits. Fortunately the rest of the team heeded his orders and disappeared, with Despero screaming aimlessly. The trip was very unpleasant, with the island whirring closer and closer. The landing was hard, but made bearable and safe by the large pile of snow at the bottom. It seemed that the tech in Clayface's body for the most part survived intact.

Looking up, the lucky Checkmate operatives saw Despero's base finishing its transformation into a spaceship. Those with the sharpest eyes could see the purple three-eyed fiend trying to plug the hole Bane made so as to enable space travel. The ship eventually disappeared.

"I hope the creep gets sucked into space," muttered Captain Cold.

Two Checkmate jets had landed on the ground and were quickly loaded.

"What's the big hurry?" asked Deadshot to Bane.

"The Justice League is on its way and we're trying to avoid a confrontation."

Twenty Minutes Later, on the Island

The Justice League had to evade pesky and persistent Checkmate aircraft. Waller and her crew had done a good job at slowing them down, knowing that the heroes wouldn't dare try to provoke a war with the U.S. government. Now several superheroes, Batman, Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman, were on the island, surveying he incredible damage caused by Despero's base lodging into the island and the various battles. Evidence suggested that Checkmate had accomplished its mission.

"Great, now what?" asked Green Lantern Kyle Rayner to Batman.

"There's nothing we can do," he grimly answered. "Checkmate has advanced weapons technology and we can't go after it without getting embroiled in red tape or warfare.

"Batman!" shouted Wonder Woman. "Look what I found!"

The three heroes gathered around a bit of clay, which Wonder Woman picked up.

"I don't get what the deal is," said Rayner.

"I know this particular clay," said Batman.

"Clayface," affirmed Wonder Woman.

"He's a super-villain, isn't he?" asked Rayner.

"Yes. This confirms my suspicions about the disappearing super-criminals. Waller has made her own metahuman strike team and there's not a thing we can do about it right now."

Secondary Checkmate Facility/Suicide Squad Base

"Congratulations on your mission," said Amanda Waller to the Suicide Squad. "Although I would have preferred it if you could have accomplished your mission without further aid."

"Despero is a tough opponent, ma'am," stated Major Victory. "He can take on the Justice League by himself and our team doesn't exactly have that level of super-villain."

"Hey, what are you implying?" said Deadshot.

Waller ignored him. "Well, your next foe isn't quite as strong. Further study of the information Mouse and Giz gathered has revealed a possible headquarters for Kobra. This time you'll have Bane with you. And I also should add that I'm pleased to see that the _Suicide_ Squad has suffered no deaths yet."

"Yes, ma'am, but Checkmate in general did."

The Suicide Squad retreated to their confined area. Bane had his own room right now, since there were an odd number of male members besides Major Victory, who wouldn't be caught sharing a room with a villain. He was surprised to see no security cameras, although frisking had been thorough beforehand. He grabbed a tiny device latched onto one of his teeth and pulled it out to observe it. It was a gizmo found in Despero's weapons cache and was undetectable by the Checkmate base's sensors. From his studies of JLA files that had been leaked to the criminal' underworld, he knew that this device could nullify certain forms of technology, including his death chip.

Once the death chip was deactivated on the next mission, he could join Kobra's organization rather than work for a government he didn't like.

_Next: The Suicide Squad goes after Kobra, but it looks like Bane can't be trusted!_


End file.
